Fantasy Baseball 2014: Updating Top 150 Big Board Post-All-Star Break

With the 2014 baseball season entering the second half, the fantasy version of the sport still needs all kinds of attention. Like, every-week attention—lest we fickle fantasy team owners get frustrated and cranky, and that just isn't good for anyone.

With that in mind, it's time for an update of the Big Board, which focuses on evaluating players' values over the rest of the season. Below is a ranking of the top 150 players from now until the end of September. With opinions and circumstances changing since the last iteration, including player performances, transactions and injuries, a refreshing is in order.

Think of it as your security blanket in an otherwise insecure world.

Before getting to that, though, some housekeeping is needed, as this lengthy list of the top talents comes with a few key qualifications. First, everything is based on 10- or 12-team mixed leagues with standard 5x5 rotisserie scoring for hitters (BA, R, HR, RBI, SB) and pitchers (W, ERA, WHIP, K, SV).

Second, lineup construction accounts for 22 active-roster positions, consisting of one each for catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, corner infield, middle infield and utility, along with five outfielders and nine pitchers.

And third, to be eligible at a particular position, players must have played at least 20 games there in 2013 or 10 games in 2014.

With that out of the way, get ready to count down, starting with No. 150 and working all the way to No. 1.

Bleacher Report's Top 150 Big Board

RANK

TEAM

LAST

150

Matt Cain

Giants

SP

149

Alex Cobb

Rays

SP

118

148

Tim Hudson

Giants

SP

128

147

Allen Craig

Cardinals

1B/OF

111

146

John Lackey

Red Sox

SP

124

145

Matt Kemp

Dodgers

OF

121

144

Adam LaRoche

Nationals

1B

143

Desmond Jennings

Rays

OF

142

Joey Votto

Reds

1B

56

141

Corey Dickerson

Rockies

OF

129

140

Jonathan Papelbon

Phillies

RP

139

Huston Street

Angels

RP

138

Eric Hosmer

Royals

1B

137

Alex Gordon

Royals

OF

NR

136

Zack Wheeler

Mets

SP

NR

135

Brian McCann

Yankees

C

134

Khris Davis

Brewers

OF

NR

133

Aramis Ramirez

Brewers

3B

NR

132

Salvador Perez

Royals

C

NR

131

Gerrit Cole

Pirates

SP

120

130

Yordano Ventura

Royals

SP

129

Mark Teixeira

Yankees

1B

NR

128

Ian Kennedy

Padres

SP

144

127

Josh Beckett

Dodgers

SP

143

126

Daniel Murphy

Mets

2B

125

Christian Yelich

Marlins

OF

NR

124

Carlos Santana

Indians

C/1B/3B

134

123

Devin Mesoraco

Reds

C

122

David Robertson

Yankees

RP

121

Rafael Soriano

Nationals

RP

120

Francisco Rodriguez

Brewers

RP

119

Matt Carpenter

Cardinals

2B/3B

109

118

Mike Minor

Braves

SP

104

117

Starling Marte

Pirates

OF

116

Brett Gardner

Yankees

OF

115

Jason Heyward

Braves

OF

114

Elvis Andrus

Rangers

SS

93

113

Mike Morse

Giants

1B/OF

112

Brandon Belt

Giants

1B

111

Justin Verlander

Tigers

SP

87

110

Mike Napoli

Red Sox

1B

109

Matt Holliday

Cardinals

OF

108

Evan Gattis

Braves

C/OF

107

Matt Adams

Cardinals

1B

138

106

Ryan Zimmerman

Nationals

3B/OF

105

Pedro Alvarez

Pirates

3B

104

Alexei Ramirez

White Sox

SS

91

103

Homer Bailey

Reds

SP

102

Jose Reyes

Blue Jays

SS

92

101

Shin-Soo Choo

Rangers

OF

64

100

Nolan Arenado

Rockies

3B

99

Anibal Sanchez

Tigers

SP

98

Charlie Blackmon

Rockies

OF

97

Alex Rios

Rangers

OF

47

96

Sean Doolittle

Athletics

RP

133

95

Chase Utley

Phillies

2B

76

94

Cliff Lee

Phillies

SP

136

93

Tyson Ross

Padres

SP

123

92

Chris Archer

Rays

SP

103

91

Josh Hamilton

Angels

OF

74

90

Pablo Sandoval

Giants

3B

122

89

James Shields

Royals

SP

78

88

Manny Machado

Orioles

3B

130

87

Jonathan Lucroy

Brewers

C

86

Mat Latos

Reds

SP

113

85

Glen Perkins

Twins

RP

84

Starlin Castro

Cubs

SS

83

Kenley Jansen

Dodgers

RP

82

Gregory Polanco

Pirates

OF

81

Justin Morneau

Rockies

1B

80

Trevor Rosenthal

Cardinals

RP

99

79

Koji Uehara

Red Sox

RP

78

Hyun-Jin Ryu

Dodgers

SP

96

77

Doug Fister

Nationals

SP

95

76

Melky Cabrera

Blue Jays

OF

75

Dustin Pedroia

Red Sox

2B

65

74

Gio Gonzalez

Nationals

SP

73

Buster Posey

Giants

C/1B

72

Jay Bruce

Reds

OF

57

71

Jayson Werth

Nationals

OF

94

70

Greg Holland

Royals

RP

69

Aroldis Chapman

Reds

RP

68

Craig Kimbrel

Braves

RP

67

Ian Desmond

Nationals

SS

66

Sonny Gray

Athletics

SP

65

Scott Kazmir

Athletics

SP

98

64

Dee Gordon

Dodgers

2B/SS

63

Evan Longoria

Rays

3B

48

62

Brandon Moss

Athletics

1B/OF

61

George Springer

Astros

OF

60

Jeff Samardzija

Athletics

SP

79

59

Jordan Zimmermann

Nationals

SP

58

David Wright

Mets

3B

57

Chris Davis

Orioles

1B

37

56

Yoenis Cespedes

Athletics

OF

55

Jason Kipnis

Indians

2B

54

Hisashi Iwakuma

Mariners

SP

53

Bryce Harper

Nationals

OF

52

David Ortiz

Red Sox

UTIL

51

Justin Upton

Braves

OF

32

50

Corey Kluber

Indians

SP

61

49

Hunter Pence

Giants

OF

48

Kyle Seager

Mariners

3B

85

47

Brian Dozier

Twins

2B

46

Carlos Gonzalez

Rockies

OF

100

45

Jon Lester

Red Sox

SP

44

Garrett Richards

Angels

SP

84

43

Anthony Rendon

Nationals

2B/3B

69

42

Michael Brantley

Indians

OF

52

41

Ian Kinsler

Tigers

2B

40

Adrian Gonzalez

Dodgers

1B

39

Albert Pujols

Angels

1B

38

Jacoby Ellsbury

Yankees

OF

37

Julio Teheran

Braves

SP

36

Cole Hamels

Phillies

SP

35

Madison Bumgarner

Giants

SP

34

Todd Frazier

Reds

3B

45

33

Edwin Encarnacion

Blue Jays

1B

9

32

Ryan Braun

Brewers

OF

31

Hanley Ramirez

Dodgers

SS

30

Josh Donaldson

Athletics

3B

29

Jose Altuve

Astros

2B

28

Billy Hamilton

Reds

OF

67

27

Zack Greinke

Dodgers

SP

26

Max Scherzer

Tigers

SP

25

Freddie Freeman

Braves

1B

24

Stephen Strasburg

Nationals

SP

23

Nelson Cruz

Orioles

OF

22

Adrian Beltre

Rangers

3B

21

Anthony Rizzo

Cubs

1B

31

20

Johnny Cueto

Reds

SP

19

Victor Martinez

Tigers

1B

18

Chris Sale

White Sox

SP

30

17

Yasiel Puig

Dodgers

OF

16

Jose Bautista

Blue Jays

OF

15

Yu Darvish

Rangers

SP

14

David Price

Rays

SP

13

Adam Wainwright

Cardinals

SP

12

Adam Jones

Orioles

OF

11

Robinson Cano

Mariners

2B

10

Jose Abreu

White Sox

1B

9

Giancarlo Stanton

Marlins

OF

8

Carlos Gomez

Brewers

OF

7

Troy Tulowitzki

Rockies

SS

6

Felix Hernandez

Mariners

SP

5

Clayton Kershaw

Dodgers

SP

4

Paul Goldschmidt

Diamondbacks

1B

3

Andrew McCutchen

Pirates

OF

2

Miguel Cabrera

Tigers

1B/3B

1

Mike Trout

Angels

OF

Author

Ins and Outs

This time around, seven players fell off the Big Board:

Andrew Cashner: The injury-prone right-hander has remained just that after a hot start that had owners everywhere hoping he could avoid such a fate.

Michael Wacha: At this stage, even getting Wacha, who's dealing with a rare stress reaction in his right elbow, back on the mound for more than a handful of starts might be as good as it gets.

Jonathan Singleton: The rookie has more talent than someone hitting .182 with a 36.4 percent strikeout rate, but he's clearly going through a major adjustment period in his first taste.

Angel Pagan: He just can't get past a back injury that has kept him out since June 14 and is expected to keep him out into August, per Alex Pavlovic of the San Jose Mercury News.

Yadier Molina: He wasn't having the fantasy season we've come to expect, and now surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb will leave Molina on the sideline until late August. At least.

Masahiro Tanaka: Even though his partially torn elbow ligament has been prescribed another month-plus of rest, chances are he'll have to go under the knife; and even if he doesn't, we won't know until late August, and Tanaka still might not be 100 percent. So from No. 16 overall to off the Board.

The seven newbies replacing them, highlighted on the Big Board, are:

Alex Gordon: He's not particularly adept in any one area, but Gordon's been, as usual, a steady performer who can contribute to all five hitting categories.

Zack Wheeler: Even with one absolute dud (6 ER in 2.0 IP on June 25), Wheeler has a 3.07 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 59 strikeouts in 58.2 innings over his past 10 starts.

Khris Davis: The batting average might not help much (.250), but it's hard to ignore 16 homers and 50 RBI anymore.

Keep in mind: When a few players at the same position are bunched together—like pitchers Matt Cain, Alex Cobb and Tim Hudson—it means they're more or less in the same boat, with no clear favorite at the moment.

That can and will change as more information, news, injuries and performances come to light. But for now, when players are grouped, consider their value to your team based more on specific category need than overall ranking.

Risers and Fallers

The right-most column marked "LAST" on the Big Board indicates a player who rose or fell in the rankings by at least 10 spots in either direction from the previous edition. Similar to the new additions, players who saw their value improve by that margin are highlighted.

Here are the reasons for some of the biggest risers this week:

Matt Adams: After yet another home run Saturday, Adams has nine homers and 26 RBI in 31 games since getting off the disabled list in mid-June.

Cliff Lee: He is finally ready to return; he'll start Monday against the San Francisco Giants, according to Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly. If he's close to being the usual Cliff Lee, this could be a big boost for owners who've been without him since May 18.

Pablo Sandoval: Remember when Sandoval was killing your batting average with a sub-.200 mark into mid-May? Well, he's up to .280 on the year, to go with 12 homers, 43 RBI and 44 runs.

Manny Machado: It seems even the All-Star break couldn't cool off Machado, who smashed a homer in the first game of the second half for his sixth in his past 14 games.

Jeff Samardzija: Hey, any starting pitcher who goes from the Chicago Cubs to the Oakland Athletics is going to win some games, which still matters in fantasy.

Carlos Gonzalez: Cautious optimism here, as CarGo has recovered from surgery to remove a tumor in his thumb, but let's see how it impacts his performance going forward.

Billy Hamilton: In 42 games since the start of June, Hamilton has hit four homers and driven in—get this—28 runs while hitting .312. He's no longer just a base stealer.

Anthony Rizzo: With 22 homers already, Rizzo is just one shy of his career high set last year, and his total is in the top five in the sport.

Meanwhile, the big fallers dropped because of the following:

Allen Craig: Now that Matt Adams is playing regularly while hitting for more power and rookie Oscar Taveras is once again in the picture, Craig's playing time has dipped after his production already had.

Matt Kemp: If Kemp still wants to be a starting center fielder, maybe he should show he can do better than a .265 average, eight homers and five steals.

Joey Votto: Sure, Votto might be back at some nebulous point in the future this year, but he wasn't doing anything even when he was playing, and that quad injury doesn't seem to be getting any better.

Corey Dickerson: With Carlos Gonzalez back, Dickerson has seen his PT dry up, which is a shame, because he deserves a better fate, even on a Rockies team with about 17 outfielders.

Gerrit Cole: A sore right back/shoulder area has been plaguing Cole for the past month or so, and while he's eligible to come off the disabled list July 20, Jenn Menendez of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports there are no indications he's ready to do so.

Mike Minor: After missing the first month of 2014, Minor has fallen back into some early-career problems, namely being too hittable (10.8 H/9) and homer-prone (1.5 HR/9).

Elvis Andrus: He does have 50 runs and 20 stolen bases, but that's the entirety of Andrus' fantasy value, and with the surrounding lineup falling apart, who knows if the runs will continue.

Shin-Soo Choo: In case you weren't sure the Texas Rangers—owners of the worst record in MLB these days—were completely done, Choo and his .186/.256/.292 line since June 15 joins Andrus on this list of Board droppers.

Alex Rios: Oh, and Rios and his—count 'em—four homers, too.

Could an ankle injury be the reason Shin-Soo Choo has gone just 21-for-113 (.186) since June 15.Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Wrapping Up

Are you refreshed after a few days off during the All-Star break? I hope so, because the next month is when the dog days set in, both in real and fantasy baseball.

Also coming up in both versions of the sport? The trade deadline, which hits on July 31 in MLB and thereabouts in most fantasy leagues.

In other words, make sure you do your due diligence when it comes to evaluating your roster's position holes and category needs, and then make a move or two that will address those.

At this point, trades are your best chance to improve your club going forward, primarily because the best waiver-wire adds and top-tier prospects are owned everywhere. To make a major impact, you'll need to look at other rosters as a way to better your own.

And as much as it might be painful, you should start ignoring the names of your players and focusing instead on their numbers. If that means trading—or even cutting—someone you're a fan of or had high hopes for, then so be it.